Friday, January 4, 2013

Pioli Out; Reid In, for KC; Ross

The Chiefs dropped Scott Pioli as GM and hired Andy Reid, a reasonable followup to owner Clark Hunt’s proclamation that the GM wouldn’t manage the coach. Pioli deserved to be let go, and Reid likely wasn’t going to work with him. So, that probably puts Tom Heckert in as GM; John Dorsey of the Packers may be in play as well, but there’s a suggeston Dorsey wouldn’t leave without more power, which he probably won’t have with Reid. That’s not suggested it’s definitely Dorsey that wouldn’t want to go; it’s whether the Packers would let him leave as well. That marks the first coach hiring, and adds one GM spot open. I’d consider it highly unlikely that Carolina, if a job was open, would’ve hired Reid; chances are, they won’t hire Pioli. I wouldn’t want him either way, and if I had to guess, you could put him in Cleveland. They love Pats retreads. Now, for KC, I’d be willing to bet that they’re interested to see what happens with Carolina’s staff, since a few key former Reid staffers are in place here. So far, Carolina’s leisurely pace hasn’t cost them anything. I don’t see many coach openings changing until this time next week, depending on who loses this weekend. I don’t know that the GM race will be impacted by that, but the coaching search (if applicable) won’t be. Speaking of that, looks like Marc Ross will interview with Jacksonville, as well. That makes four teams (so far) and may create more delays in the process if Ross is Carolina's top candidate.